Romantic comedy set against the story of a grudge football match between two pubs. The prize for the winner of the centenary match is the the closure of their opponent's bar. The Match was mainly filmed around Straiton in Ayrshire.
Acting
Richard E. Grant commits fully to being a sleazy football legend.
Production
Straiton, Ayrshire looks impossibly green and pub-perfect.
Writing
The 'closure as prize' premise is deliciously petty and British.
Director
Mick Davis
Max Beesley
Wullie Smith
Isla Blair
Sheila Bailey
James Cosmo
Billy Bailey
Richard E. Grant
Gorgeous Gus
Laura Fraser
Rosemary Bailey
Ian Holm
Big Tam
David Hayman
Scrapper
Tom Sizemore
Buffalo
Neil Morrissey
Piss Off
David O'Hara
Mechanic
Iain Robertson
Danny Van Boy
Michael Nardone
Dingus
Bill Paterson
Tommy
Gary Lewis
Dead Eye
Ron Donachie
Happy Feet
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The film was originally titled 'The Beautiful Game' but distributors feared Americans would think it was about chess.
This captures a very specific late-90s moment when British cinema briefly believed every rom-com needed a regional sports subplot.
GB
